Fiction to Films #atozchallenge is Coming!

 

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Well, not all fiction becomes a film (technically) but Film to Screen does not have the same poetic quality. I suppose Story to Screen is acceptable. 

The upcoming month of April is dedicated to the #AtoZChallenge, where posts are related to the alphabet and a topic. Here at OA we have chosen books and screen adaptations, be it film or TV.

Personally, my views on books becoming films has changed over time.

I started as a purist, believe it or not. I had to read the book first. Who cared if I saw the film or TV version? I would choose to watch the film or TV if I was so inclined.

Then I discovered a handful of lovely book to screen adaptations where (the HORROR) I saw the film/TV version first because I didn't know it was a book first. I fell in love with the film/TV version and then read the book. These included What's Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges and Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. 

I could never be a Story to Screen purist every again.

Don't get me wrong. I am still very (very) disappointed and critically harsh if my beloved story is not done justice on the screen. To be fair, it is a regular nightmare of my own work being turned into film/TV adaptations. I have debated whether I want movie rights to be available or if I want to visit set or if the anxiety would be too much.

Yet stories are stories, I consume books and visual stories. I get super excited about the books that are made into visual nuggets that I can appreciate both for how wonderful they are and appreciate their differences.

Some of my favorite Story to Screen adaptations that I will not be discussing in detail this month but may be discussed in future posts, listed in no particular order:

• Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
• The BFG by Roald Dahl
• Misery by Stephen King
• Beloved by Toni Morrison
• Beowulf
• Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
• Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski